Today was an action packed day. We started our morning with a meeting with the pilot to determine if whether or not we could take off for camp. The area has been plagued with fog and I am not sure if anyone in the team slept well last night with the fog on the brain.
Meeting with Jan
Thankfully, we woke to a cloudy but visible day. Take off would happen in an hour. There was so much to do. We packed the trucks and were bid farewell by our newest fan.
Farewell party
We were driven to the airport to unload the gear and load up the helicopter. We give a new meaning to the term 'packrat.' Our pilot, Jan, then gave safety instructions on the aircraft. I had never been on a helicopter before and was quite excited. Before I knew it, we were hovering about the earth and heading into some of the most remarkable landscape on the globe. After today's experience, I never want to go in a car again!
Loading our taxi
Dr. Briner had predetermined six possible sampling locations for our flight today. We were literally 'ice cap jumping' back and forth along the fjord. One of the criteria that determined whether or not we could land was if Jan could place the Bell 212 down safely.
Jan finds a safe landing spot
Before we headed to our camp in the sky, we spotted one last ice cap that looked like prime sampling terrain. All in all an amazing start to our field season.
Our last sampling location for the day
Until next time, 4 Osprey (Blue, Black, Turquoise & Purple) & the Black Diamond (Neon Green)
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